Vegan Rasmalai Cake

This vegan rasmalai cake is my favourite cake on my blog! If you absolutely love rasmalai, you need to try this!

What is rasmalai?

Rasmalai is a very popular Begali dessert made with clotted cheese (chhena, an unrefined version of paneer) that is soaked in cardamom and saffron infused sweetened milk. Ras (रस) means juice, essence or sap and Malai (मलाई) means cream, which makes this dessert a creamy milky delight. Rasmalai is often garnished with crushed pistachios and slivered almonds. It is eaten during all kinds of celebrations such as weddings, Diwali and other holy celebrations.

There is a lot of contradictory information regarding where rasmalai comes from. However, before the partition of India, and creation of West Begal and Bangladesh, it is said that rasmalai was invented in that area during the 17th Century. As the popularity of this dessert grew, fondness of rasmalai spread across India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Today, it is adapted into recipes like this one!

I love rasmalai, it was what my grandmother used to make when we stayed over. It truly reminds me of my childhood (and I can’t lie, my grandmother made the best rasmalai in the world!!!…in my very biased opinion)

How do you make a ‘vegan’ rasmalai cake?

There are a growing number of people that allergic or intolerant to milk and many vegetarians don’t regard egg as vegetarian. I decided to make my favourite dessert vegan so everyone, regardless of their diet can enjoy this. There is zero compromise on flavour with this recipe. It is completely egg-free and dairy-free.

Instead of cow’s milk, I’ve used soy milk. You’ll be so surprised to see how much soy milk looks like cow’s milk when it’s heated up. You can see the same formations of ‘malai’ in the soy milk, just like the texture you see in cow’s milk. Soy milk is my go-to when it comes to vegan desserts. The fat and protein content makes it a versatile option.

A few tips before you make this vegan rasmalai cake

To make this 5-layer egg-free cake, I didn’t use any apple sauce, chia powder or flax powder. All of these egg-alternatives don’t create a spongey, decadent cake texture. Read on to see what simple pantry ingredients I used to make the bounce on this vegan cake flawless!

• Baking power and baking soda
  While both ingredients are leveling agents, there are some distinct differences between the two. Baking soda needs an acid to react while baking powder does not. I have used both to increase the volume, lightness and fluffiness of the cake, especially since it is made without egg – the cake needs all the help it can get!
• Vinegar
  This is the acid I added last to the mixture in order to create that beautiful light texture to the cake. It is a simple pantry ingredient that goes a long way!
• Soy milk
  Instead of cow’s milk, I used soy milk to recreate that malai. I used this as a base to infuse the fresh green cardamom, and saffron flavour.
• Vivo Topping Ace
  This is all-purpose plant-based whipping cream used in a lot of bakeries around Asia. It has an high stability and is very easy to use.
• Bloomed saffron
  I bloomed the saffron by crushing in strands and then combining it with ice water. As the ice water melted, the crushed saffron dissolved.
• Cardamom powder
  This is key to creating the most delicious rasmalai flavour frosting. If you don’t have cardamom powder, you will need to create your own crushing fresh cardamom seeds from the cardamom pods.

This is a 5-layer vegan rasmalai cake but…

You can always use cupcake baking trays, or make this into a shorter cake. You can write your comments here with any questions or help. If you loved it, I’d like to know your feedback as well. I hope you love this as much as I loved making it.

Vegan Rasmalai Cake

The Veggie Wifey

This vegan rasmalai cake recipe is probably the most decadent vegan cake you will ever eat! It's moist, flavourful and scrumptious, made without egg or dairy!

5 from 1 vote

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Servings 8 servings

Prep Time 1 day d

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Decorating 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 day d 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Equipment

• 1 Oven
• 1 Stand Mixer
• 3 Mixing bowls
• 5 Cake Tins 6 inches in diameter, 0.75 inches in height
• Baking Paper unwaxed
• 1 Spatula
• 1 Revolving Cake Stand
• 1 stainless steel pot
• 1 Wooden spoon
• 1 Pestle & Mortar
• 1 Cooking Brush
• 2-3 Toothpicks

Ingredients

For The Cake

• ▢ 130 g avocado oil or any neutral oil, grape seed is ok
• ▢ 200 g sugar
• ▢ 2 g salt
• ▢ 2 tsp baking soda
• ▢ 200 g all-purpose flour unbleached
• ▢ 6 g baking powder
• ▢ 100 g coconut yoghurt
• ▢ 6 g vanilla essence
• ▢ 210 g soy milk
• ▢ 2 tbsps apple cider vinegar best option

For The Ras (saffron and cardamom infused milk)

• ▢ 200 g soy milk
• ▢ 2 tbsp sugar
• ▢ 17 cardamom pods smashed open
• ▢ 15 saffron strands crushed in a pestle and mortar
• ▢ 1 ice cube

For The Frosting

• ▢ 300 g vivo topping ace All-purpose plant-based whipping cream. If you don't have access to this, use a soy based whipping cream
• ▢ 20 g Ras from the recipe above
• ▢ 6-8 g Cardamom powder as much as suits your preference

Instructions

For The Cake

• In a stand mixer, combine the oil and sugar to form a vegan crémage. Whisk for about 5 minutes.
• In another bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside
• In separate bowl, whisk the coconut yoghurt, vanilla essence, and soy milk.
• Now, one after the other, pour one part of the dry mixture with one part of the wet mixture to the crémage on medium speed until all of both the mixtures are fully incorporated with the crémage. Don't place all of it altogether, or both simultaneously. The point is to slowly whisk in the dry and wet mixtures in equal parts (dry, wet, dry, wet, dry, wet) until finished.
• The final step is to add the vinegar last, and gently fold it into the mixture until you see light bubbles.
• Line your 6" cake tins with a layer of brown baking paper, and pour the batter, filling 1/2 of the tin. Be sure not to go over it.
• Bake the cake in the oven for 30 minutes at 150 degrees Celsius.
• Once baked, check using a toothpick. Place a toothpick in the middle of the cake, and if it comes out clean, you're good! If not, keep it in for another 5 minutes.
• Take the cake tins out of the oven, and let it cool down completely.

For The Ras

• First, bloom the saffron by adding an ice cube to the crushed strands in the pestle and mortar. If you have not read ingredients above, please crush the strands first.
• While you're waiting for the ice cube to melt, pour the soy milk and crushed cardamoms in a saucepan over low to medium heat
• When this reaches a bubbling simmer, add the sugar and the saffron water. Stir until fully combined.
• Let the mixture form a thin later of cream, right before it starts to boil, then take it off the heat. Let it cool down.
• Strain the mixture once cool, discarding the cardamom pods and seeds

Back To The Cake

• Poke holes around the middle and edges (not too far out, leave a 1cm circumference around the edge) of the baked cake using a toothpick while it is still in the cake tin.
• Gently, dip a cooking brush into the cooled down, room temperature ras, and brush it over the needle-like holes of the cake. Repeat until the cake has a thin sheet of ras over the surface. Be generous, but don't over soak the cake.
• Place these cake tins in the fridge overnight to absorb.

For The Frosting

• The next day, place the whipping cream, ras, and cardamom powder into the mixing bowl until the whipping cream is completely stable.
• Start assembling your cake!

Assembling Your Cake!

• Take the first layer of the cake by removing it from the tin, and peeling off the caking paper from the bottom. Place this on a revolving cake stand.
• Add a 1/2" layer of frosting to the top, then add the second layer.
• Repeat until the 5 layers of cake are stacked up on top of each other with cream in between each later. Round the cake off with the remaining of the frosting, and decorate with some piping tools!

All recipes and images are copyright and the intellectual property of ‘Divya Butani – The Veggie Wifey’, and cannot be altered or redistributed for commercial or other purposes.